PMS...the Double-Edged Sword

The other day in my gender course we had a discussion about PMS. What is it? How common is it? How is PMS used as an excuse, and what connotations can this have?  I'm sure you know, but PMS stands for Pre-menstrual Syndrome, and is basically referring to the time-frame that is about one week before a women menstruates (has her period). This "syndrome" came about in the 1980's, when doctors of the time were looking to describe the physiological and psychological symptoms women have during this week or so. Mind you, there are some interesting medical articles around then that also prescribe to the view that PMS hinders women from getting a good education, taking care of children (!), and having too many responsibilities. It seems that maybe this is some sort of propaganda to make women look weak?  The interesting thing is that before then, no such "syndrome" existed. The symptoms (there is a list of more than 200!) can include some of the following: cramps, irritability, headache, fatigue, and excitability to name a few. Another funny thing is that most symptoms are contradictory of one another. Are you both excitable and fatigued at the same time? We had to read an article about this for class, and in one study done it was discovered (no duh) that men also have times each month where they too may feel some of these same symptoms. Give any group of people a list of that many symptoms, and you are bound to have people "suffering" from them. 

Why does this matter? Well, it is a proven fact that those women who have grown up in homes where hormone fluctuations are used as an excuse for mood swings and outbursts, are more likely to use PMS as an excuse as an adult (again...duh), than women who grew up in homes where PMS was never talked about. In fact, the big kicker here is that women who grew up with less exposure to the term PMS, actually reported experiencing fewer symptoms than those who were taught that women became monsters right before their periods. Many other countries in the world have no such similar syndrome. This begs the question then is PMS a self-fulfilling prophecy? It is important to note that some women do indeed suffer before their cycle begins, but research shows that women with intense symptoms comprise only 3% of the population. Most women report little difference throughout the month with maybe slight discomfort, when asked to track their feelings and physiological complaints throughout an entire month. It seems that there can be periods of fatigue, irritability, nausea and headaches throughout other times of the month as well. Who knew? When men are asked to track these same symptoms, they too report changes throughout the month. I know, one of you is out there reading this thinking but Sarah, you haven't met my teenage daughter! And my response is, no, I haven't, but hormone fluctuations will be common throughout adolescence  and not all are tied to having a period. I would also direct you to watch a teenage boy. Irritability, anxiety, headaches and fatigue are probably also common for him, and he certainly does not have PMS. 

Often PMS is used as an excuse, a caveat if you will, for acting a certain way or saying things that probably should not have been said. Afterward though, it is safe to hide behind the veil of PMS. How many of us are guilty of ever saying, "I'm sorry, I must have been PMSing"? The fact of the matter is that maybe the behavior that caused the outburst needed to be addressed in the first place. Yes, hormones change, and yes, they can account for changes in perception of ourselves and of our bodies, but they are not an excuse. The utilization of excuses makes women appear weak. It is interesting that today women still fight for the right to be taken seriously, yet many (not all) are willing to hide behind the excuse or irrational, illogical actions at least one week of the month. Ladies-it is a double-edged sword. Either you are capable all the time and truly equal in responsibility capacity as the men, or you are a monster part of each and every month...thus making you unstable. Personally, sign me up for the fact that I can hold my own with anyone, of any flavor of gender, and my hormones will not get in the way.